Mar 11, 2012

Yes, you read that right, there is ale in the cupcakes and Bailey's in the frosting! I guess it's safe to call these grown-up cupcakes, and boy are they good!!

St. Patrick's Day inspired me to create this skinny adult treat. Pinterest can be such a time suck, but it also sparks creativity. After seeing this chocolate stout cake on Ambrosia Baking, a light bulb lit up in my head. I could mess around with my last chocolate cake recipes and use beer in the mix. I found the Double Chocolate Stout in Trader Joe's, but Guinness would work too.

As for the frosting, I knew I wanted to use Bailey's, but I couldn't imagine just how good they would be when combined.

Folks, this was a big success, so if you have a St Patrick's Day party to go to I highly recommend bringing these. You can double the recipe for more.

Combine all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners and lightly spray liners with oil (to prevent sticking).

In a large bowl sift together all the dry ingredients; sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.

In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients (egg through canola oil) and beat until smooth.

With a mixer, slowly add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into cupcake liners and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

These look sooo delicious!I was just scanning your website little over an hour ago to make cupcakes for this St Patty's Day - decided on the Diet Soda cupcake w/skinny cream cheese frosting.Well. This might just top that!

I was wondering the same thing... after the fact. I have a friend with a serious nut allergy so almond milk just won't do. Is there a reason you chose the almond over skim in the first place? Calorie content? Flavor? Just curious. Thanks!

I made these tonight with Guiness, not chocolate stout, the cupcakes took 25 min to cook. The frosting BARELY was enough for a little bit on each cupcake, also the thickness, even after refridgeration never thickened up enough. I would recommend using 8oz cream cheese and a little more powder sugar. The flavor is delicious, but just needs some minor tweeks.

If you look at the picture, the top of the cupcake isn't entirely covered so maybe that's where you're coming up short? I made a double batch of these last night and actually threw away some of my frosting because i made a little circle on top that covered probably 2/3's, and even put an extra little dollop in the middle and that's all I needed. I do agree about adding more powdered sugar but only if you want a stiff frosting. My frosting is not by any means stiff but its not oozy either. I put it in the fridge while i made the batter and then put it in a piping bag while the first batch was cooking and it was fine. I used the 5.5oz of cream cheese too.

Also, maybe it would be good to note that you should fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way up. I wasn't sure how to portion these out so i just guessed and guessed correctly. But it did cross my mind.

I ran across a recipe on the blog Nook & Pantry the other day for cupcakes quite like these. I was so excited to see your cupcakes this morning so I can make them today and feel better knowing the point value. Thanks for your recipes!

I have been making a version of these cupcakes for the last 5 yrs & they are always a HUGE hit!! I seem to end up making them for funerals a lot lately... the alcohol must help them get through the rough day! :-)

thanks...i ended up making these for my ww meeting since it was on st patrick's day...i made them mini and when i calculated them they were 1 point...i thought that was amazing..the flavor was great..and plenty of frosting...thanks for another great recipe...your website has carried through my ww journey... : )

I'm not a beer girl but I like the idea of the Bailey's frosting on other cupcakes- how many points plus is just the frosting? My WW friends and I ADORE your site - thank you so much for the most wonderful recipes!!

OMG...I am so happy to find a lightened up version. I have been making "Boozy Cupcakes" for a while now, but usually for other people. Now I can indulge. If you want to go total "Irish Car-bomb", poke holes in the cupcakes and drizzle with a syrup made from 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup irish whiskey boiled 5 minutes and cooled. just 1/2 teaspoon does the job.

I should have read all the posts before I made these. The whiskey syrup sounds GREAT!!! I will definitely be making these again. I haven't tried them yet, but as I was scooping them into cupcake cups, I was think I should have adjusted for altitude (I live at 9000 feet). So I'll see how these ones are and then make them again.

Gina -- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I think I will just make the frosting and eat it (love Bailey's) w/o cupcakes. ;) I bet the frosting would also be good on your chocolate/pumpkin cupcakes. Or ....

Because the recipe calls for powdered sugar, splenda or stevia would end up giving you a different texture (it would be more grainy). If anyone finds a powdered splenda or powdered stevia, PLEASE share because that would be amazing!

You can make powdered sugar by grinding an amount of regular sugar to the amount of powdered sugar you're seeking (in a food processor)until it is a powder and adding about 1 tsp of corn starch per cup of sugar. I would imagine you could do the same with splenda or stevia.

Ideas on replacing the stout? I suppose normal beer is pointless. I just don't know what to do with the rest, as neither my hubby or I drink dark beer like Guiness. Maybe I can find it in just one big can...like some of the ghetto (ha..joking..kind of) beer stores have. Thanks!

You can find a can of Guinness in some grocery stores and Gas stations. I like to simmer brats in Guinness then put them on the grill. They stay juicy with amazing flavor. You could also use the leftover beer to make beer bread or drop biscuits. Just add the beer to a some Bisquick until its thick then use a spoon to drop some dough on a baking sheet and bake according to biscuit directions on the Bisquick box. I dont like drinking beer but cooking with it is fun. Add it to a steak marinade, that is yummy also.

Trader Joes and Cost Plus World Market is a great place to find single beers. More high end grocery stores are often carrying individuals of microbrews. I'm sure you can find a stout or a porter among them that would work if you couldn't locate Guinness or Youngs.

So excited to try this recipe. I plan on making a batch with chocolate stout and a batch with Guinness. My only question is why did you need to add oil to the batter if you have applesauce in the batter? I never add oil to cupcakes or cakes anymore because I just substitute with applesauce. Love the recipes!

Around this time of year, I ALWAYS crave my fave chocolate cake (guiness cake) but I hate to make it because it's SUPER high in points. I thought, lemme wander over to Gina's site because just MAYBE she has figured out how to make these w/out crashing the diet. And you have! Thank you!

I made these for my coworkers and I had a great reaction. Before I made it, I was worried the taste of the stout would be either too much or the chocolate would overpower it. It was a perfect balance and also the cake was perfectly moist. I used special dark chocolate baking cocoa instead & loved it. Even the women at work loved it. Thank goodness I had no leftovers otherwise I would be in trouble if I had to have brought them home!

I followed directions exactly (using Brooklyn Brewery dark chocolate stout). I make 24 mini cupcakes and had enough left over batter for 4 regular size. (Mini’s took 15 min at 350 and regulars took 25 at 350).

The only variation I made was with the frosting. I used 7 tsp baileys because I found the cream cheese too strong and wanted more of a baileys flavor.

Thanks! These are so moist, not too sweet, and with a tiny bit of tartness from the beer and maybe the sour cream. They smelled delish in the oven too. I can't figure out why people would make cake without a hidden fruit or veggie!! Makes all the difference. Found the recipe on punchfork, but I'll be visiting your site again for sure!

MADE THESE LAST NIGHT! USED WHAT I HAD WHICH WAS REG CREAM CHEESE, REG SOUR CREAM, REG MILK & GUINNESS. ALSO USED A WHOLE BOTTLE(AIRLINE SIZE)OF THE BAILEY'S AND JUST ADDED A LITTLE MORE POWDERED SUGAR TO THICKEN IT UP. WE RATE THEM AS AN 8 ON A SCALE OF 1-10!!! SOMEONE TOLD ME THEY ARE CALLED AN IRISH CAR BOMB CUPCAKE!

Believe it or not, these came in my email overnight of the same night my husband asked if I would make up some Guinness Cakes for his work potluck. He works overnights also, so I woke up to both emails. Guess what his crew is getting? Thanks for the recipe!

i JUST made these! Delicious!! The cupcakes DO stick, however, to the liners. I sprayed a good amount of cooking spray on them first, too, so make sure you spray them down VERY well before you pour the batter. I didn't have baileys, so I used cafe patron, and it tastes amazing!

Chocolate + Bailey = this is a must try recipe!! Thanks for sharing it, I linked it in a serie I’m writing for my blog (http://rock-n-roll-stops-the-traffic.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-from-head-to-toe-3-special-edition.html), I hope you don’t mind! :)

Made these today and OMG are they good! I doubled the recipe and had a lot of frosting left over. Also I used Sam Adams Chocolate bock beer and it seemed to work well. I think I will be making these every year now!

I sprayed foil cupcake liners and they basically fell off the cupcakes. Couldn't find Youngs at my TJ's or World Market but used a different one from TJ's. Very yummy! Love the recipes on this site. My daughters and I are HUGE fans. Thank you for all you do <3

These were a big hit! There was a subtle beer taste to the cupcake which was great. And I love bailey's. I made 1 and a half of the recipe and made a dozen regular cupcakes and a dozen minis. I definitely had enough frosting - sure I'd love twice as much but then they wouldn't be skinny :).

Yum, yum, yum! I will tell you, I kicked it up an extra notch though. I made a whisky ganache using 4oz bittersweet chocolate, 1/3c heavy cream, 1tbsp butter, and 1tsp whisky. That made more than enough ganache for 24 cupcakes. Only added 1 point per cupcake too and SO worth it! Thank you for your awesome inspirations~!

These were SO amazing. I love how they aren't too sweet. It was so surprising, usually when you think chocolate cupcakes, I think that delicious, really sweet, cavity finding, cake. But these were just the right sweetness, especially when paired with the AMAZING frosting. I also saw a few comments saying the frosting didn't set, or wasn't a big enough batch, I ended up using the whole 8 oz's and the amounts listed for the baileys and sugar (and green food coloring), and they set up, and tasted great. Not sure what could've went wrong! I had plenty for mine :)

What a great idea! I made these this weekend for a St. Patty's party and everyone loved them :) I couldn't afford so many ingredients so I used Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix and used applesauce instead of oil. It made them so moist and yummy! I made 24 cupcakes and used 8 oz cream cheese, about 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of Bailey's and it wasn't a ton of frosting on each but enough to get the flavor.

First, I want to say that these tasted amazing. I made them for my friend's 30th birthday party this past weekend. However, like another commenter here, mine didn't rise. My baking soda wasn't old. I did use skim milk instead of almond, but I'm not sure if that would've made a huge difference. Also for people who couldn't find the chocolate stout, I ended up using Guiness Extra Stout. I was worried that the flavor would taste way too much beer, but it was very tasty.

I made these last night and they came out great! I think next time I'll make them without the frosting, I liked the frosting but I think having the unfrosted cupcake would be yummy. I absolutely love the flavor of the cupcake itself! Delicious!

The hubby, best man, and hungry speech pathologists I work with enjoyed the moistness of the cake and flavors.

I felt like they were very dense though, mine did not rise either. I rarely have had that issue with baking cupcakes. :/ my frosting wasn't runny but it was closer on the glaze side then frosting side in my opinion.

Gina...first of all let me say I LOVE your website!!! I used this recipe for a Xmas bundt cake! Delish!!! I just doubled the recipe and baked it for about 45-50 min in a bundt pan at the same temperature. I doubled the frosting too (and quadrupled the Bailey's :). I drizzled it over the cake and had tons left over. It was a hit!! Next time, I will probably won't double the frosting recipe (but still use twice the Bailey's!)...although if one wanted to completely frost the cake, I would probably want to keep the frosting doubled. Thank you, thank you!! And Merry Christmas!!

OH MAN!!!!! I made these yesterday and was going to give half of them to my Dad and his girlfriend....I ended up only bringing 4 of them to their house tonight because they were too good to give away!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Gina you win again! :) Everything I make of yours is a winner!!! Thanks agaiN! Can't wait to make these again.